As the characteristic lambing snows of April subside, signs of spring are becoming increasingly evident.

A short walk around the policy woodlands reveals two of the very common early spring flowers: the primrose, Primula vulgaris and the lesser celandine, Ranunculus ficaria. The flowers and leaves of the primrose are both edible and together with the rapidly emerging young leaves of common sorrel, Rumex acetosa; wood sorrel, Oxalis acetosella; dandelion, Taraxacum officinale; bitter cress, Cardamine flexuosa and cuckoo flower, Cardamine pratensis, a tasty, nutrient rich wild food salad can be made. Antioxidant levels are shown to be particularly high in wild foods and access to vitamin rich spring greens would have been greatly welcomed by our hunter gatherer ancestors after the winter.

Although the flowers and leaves of the lesser celendine, or pilewort, are not edible the roots can be roasted to make a good starchy snack. As the common name suggests the crushed roots can also be made into an ointment to relieve piles.

Other common flowers of the area soon to emerge include bluebell, Endymion non-scriptus; wood anemone, Anemone nemorosa; common dog violet, Viola riviniana; germander speedwell, Veronica chamaedrys; thyme-leaved speedwell, Veronica serpyllifolia and cuckoo flower, Cardamine pratensis. All of these will be seen easily on the woodland walks around Applecross House.

The wood anemone, like the lesser celendine, is a member of the buttercup family, Rannunculaceae, and folklore says that the flowers close at night and during rain to keep the fairies safe.

The vibrant yellow flowers of the gorse are evident on many of the local walks, these can be crushed and then infused to make a delicately flavoured tea, somewhat improved by the addition of honey.

The first leaves have appeared on the hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna, known as bread and cheese, these young leaves are a tasty snack and make a nutty tasting addition to a spring greens salad. The leaves are also emerging on the horsechestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum and the catkin flowers of the hazel, Corylus avellana are easily seen. The white blossom of the wild cherry, Prunus avium and the bird cherry, Prunus padus should appear soon.

Another spring delight is the emergence of the young stinging nettles, Urtica dioica, which are extremely nutrient rich and can be made into a very tasty springtime soup simply by the addition of onion, potato, garlic and stock.

The resident bird population, including: blackbird, robin, chaffinch, blue tit, great tit and coal tit, can be heard clearly and are now busy nest building, the familiar call of the cuckoo was heard for the first time this week and other summer visitors should return shortly.

Stags are now dropping their antlers and good collecting grounds can be found on the local woodland walks, especially in places where the stag may have had to make a small jump, such as stream edges.

Plenty of frogspawn is around, but tadpoles have not been recorded yet. A recent visit to Applecross by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, www.bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk has sparked local interest in recording the various species and a few early sightings have been recorded by the school children.

As the weather warms and we progress into May other invertebrates, such as damsel flies and dragon flies will emerge along with the less popular ticks and midges.